Manufacturing General Manager

General Manager

The General Manager / President provides overall leadership and strategic direction for a small manufacturing firm, driving organizational growth, profitability, and operational excellence. This role is accountable for P&L management, sales leadership, engineering and manufacturing oversight, safety compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives such as Lean and Six Sigma. The General Manager ensures alignment of all departments with company objectives and fosters a culture of innovation, accountability, and customer focus.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership:
• Formulate and execute company policies and long-term strategies to achieve revenue growth, market expansion, and profitability goals.
• Lead business planning initiatives, including sales strategies, financial performance targets, and new product development.
• Sales & Growth:
• Drive top-line growth through proactive sales leadership, customer engagement, and market development.
• Collaborate with sales teams to identify new opportunities, strengthen customer relationships, and expand into emerging markets.
• Reviews operations and plans to meet requirements for sales planning and to ascertain manufacturing or outsourcing requirements to develop new markets.
• Operational Excellence:
• Oversee engineering, manufacturing, and operations to ensure efficiency, quality, and safety standards are met.
• Champion Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement initiatives to optimize processes, reduce costs, and enhance productivity.
• Resolve operational, manufacturing and facility problems to ensure minimum costs and prevent operational delays and to meet future growth.
• Strategic Planning & Financial Management:
• Manage full P&L responsibility, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Analyze activities, costs, operations and forecast data to determine department or division progress toward stated goals and objectives.
• Reviews and approves preparation of accounting analysis for budgetary planning and implementation, production efficiency, financial reporting, budgetary planning and submittal for capital expenditures.
• Team Leadership & Partnership:
• Direct and coordinate activities of department leaders in sales, engineering, quality, materials, manufacturing.
• Provide coaching, performance management, and succession planning to build a high-performing leadership team.
• Partner with corporate Shared Services (HR, Payroll, Accounting, IT, Safety, etc.) to leverage best practices, ensure compliance, and align activities with organizational standards.
• Collaborate with Shared Services to optimize processes, enhance employee experience, and maintain consistency in policies and procedures across the organization.
• Safety & Compliance:
• Ensure compliance with all safety regulations and promote a culture of workplace safety across all operations.
• Innovation & Customer Focus:
• Support engineering and sales teams in developing innovative solutions that meet customer requirements and drive market growth.
• Oversee design improvements for cost reduction, safety, and quality enhancements.
• Reporting To Board Of Directors:
• Reports directly to the Board of Directors and/or Company Ownership, providing regular updates on organizational performance, strategic initiatives, and financial results.
• Reviews achievements against established goals and objectives, presenting recommendations for adjustments based on current business conditions and market trends.
• Engages in high-level discussions with ownership to align on vision, growth strategies, and long-term planning.

Skills And Experience Required:

• Master's degree or equivalent experience; 8–10 years of progressive leadership in manufacturing, including P&L responsibility.
• Proven track record in sales leadership and business growth.
• Strong background in operations, engineering, and process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma preferred) in a manufacturing environment.
• Strategic thinking, business acumen, and financial expertise.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and leadership skills.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and driving cultural change.
• Problem Solving/Analysis and Project Management experience.
• Excellent time management and organization skills with the ability to effectively handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong proficiency with MS office (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint) and ERP systems (Propeht21 experience a plus)
• Passionate, Adaptable, Customer Focused and Teamwork oriented
• Strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Ability to travel (up to 50% of the time) including travel to Canada and Mexico

Physical/Mental Requirements:

• This position may occasionally require exposure to the manufacturing areas that require the use of personal protective equipment such as steel toed shoes, safety glasses with side shields and mandatory hearing protection. For the most part the employee will be exposed to ambient room temperatures, lighting and traditional office equipment as found in a typical office environment.
• Individuals may need to sit or stand as needed. The position may require walking primarily on a level surface for periodic periods throughout the day. The employee may reach above shoulder heights or below the waist or lift as required to file documents or store materials throughout the workday. Proper lifting techniques are required.
• Requires prolonged sitting, standing, bending and walking.
• Ability to bend, climb, push, and pull, including the ability to maneuver at heights and in tight or small places
• Ability to routinely lift, carry, and otherwise transport work-related materials that frequently weigh up to 60 pounds and that may occasionally weigh in excess of 70 pounds
• Moderate to heavy use of hands in grasping, repetitive hand movement and finger coordination in keeping records and using a keyboard.
• Speech and hearing to communicate effectively in group settings, one-on-one, and by telephone.
• High level of concentration, confidentiality and organization.
• Ability to multi-task.

This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.